


Constellations

by beandumpling



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, First Meetings, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-12-12 05:46:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20999657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beandumpling/pseuds/beandumpling
Summary: Jooheon moved to his new job four months ago. It was an average-paying, monotonous existence that he detested.  Like clockwork, he woke up at 8 am, showered, went to work, clocked out, and walked home at 6:30 pm.And like clockwork, every Friday he walked home, there was a man sitting on the bench under the biggest tree by his apartment building.





	Constellations

Every Friday, he saw him.

Jooheon moved to his new job four months ago. It was an average-paying, monotonous existence that he detested. Like clockwork, he woke up at 8 am, showered, went to work, clocked out, and walked home at 6:30 pm. 

And like clockwork, every Friday he walked home, there was a man sitting on the bench under the biggest tree by his apartment building. 

Normally, Jooheon wouldn't really notice something like that- he wasn't the type to pay too much attention to strangers and everyone had a spot they were a regular at. Nothing unusual about it. He, himself, liked to stop at a very specific vending machine on his way home- its buttons were the newest and it was the only one that carried the brand of chips he liked. 

But what made Jooheon take notice of this particular man was how unbearably, extraordinarily sad he looked. 

Every time he walked past the stranger, he would slow his pace and see the man gazing up at the sky. His unfamiliar face was always blank, his mouth was always set in a tight line- and his eyes were always shining like there were tears and stars suspended in them. And they were so, so sad. 

Jooheon finally decided that tonight, after four months of walking past without saying a word, he didn't want the man to look so sad anymore. He didn't know this person, he didn't know why he always looked so devastated, but he did know that no one deserved to look like that every single week. 

On his way home from work, he picked up two warm sweet potatoes from the elderly vendor he always greeted and passed ("Two? Careful not to get chubby," she had teased, giving him a pat, and Jooheon had probably taken more offense than he had needed to). 

Jooheon walked quickly, his breath clouding the air in front of him, with a sweet potato in each hand. He only slowed once his apartment building came into view.

And there, like he had come to expect every Friday night, was the sad man sitting on the bench. 

His heart was thumping, he realized. It dawned on him that he was, for some reason, nervous. He didn't really know why- he wasn't a shy person at all. But maybe it was the strangeness of offering someone he didn't know some kind of gift. After all, if he was in the stranger's position, would he accept some random man's sweet potato?

After some pondering, he decided that the answer was yes. It was a sweet potato, for God's sake. Who would give that up? 

He got closer and closer and slowed down more and more until he was at a crawling pace, making his way towards the bench.

And then he stopped. Took a deep breath. 

"Hi," he said, and his voice came out a little higher and funnier than he would've liked, but it was too late to do anything about it now. 

The man tore his gaze away from the sky and focused on Jooheon. 

Jooheon felt his stomach immediately do a series of flips like it had bought itself a rollercoaster ticket. 

He hadn't noticed how pretty the man was. 

Not just pretty- the man was _beautiful_. 

Jooheon felt his heart pound a little faster. He felt simultaneously awestruck and inadequate. 

"Hi," the stranger said, voice tinged with curiosity and confusion. Even his voice was pretty. That wasn't fair.

"Um." Now was not the time to lose his words, but off they went, leaving him a fumbling mess in front of possibly the prettiest person he had ever seen.

The man continued to stare at him strangely, and Jooheon felt his whole face heat up more than the potatoes he was holding. What was he doing?

Right. The potatoes.

"Here," he said, holding one of them out. 

The man stared at the outstretched hand, eyes widening a little. "…For me?" 

Jooheon nodded a little harder than he needed to. "Yeah. I mean, you're out here a lot and it's starting to get pretty cold and I just thought- yeah." 

The man blinked down at the offered potato (his blink was uneven, Jooheon noticed, and it struck him as cute), and slowly took the gift. His face broke out into a wide smile. "Thank you." 

It was like it was suddenly daytime, the man's smile was so bright. Jooheon felt his heart jump in his chest. He was smiling back so hard his cheeks hurt before he even realized what he was doing.

"What's your name?" 

Jooheon didn't even register the question at first, just the beautiful sound of the man's voice, and then he realized he should probably say something.

"Uh. Jooheon. My name's Jooheon." 

The man took a bite of the sweet potato and let out a contented sigh. "Hm. I'm Minhyuk. Thanks for the sweet potato. It really is cold out here."

Minhyuk. He finally had a name for the face he had been passing for months now. 

"No problem," Jooheon said. He had succeeded. He had made the sad-looking man smile and had even learned his name.

And now, what the hell was he supposed to do? 

Jooheon began to panic a bit. He hadn't thought he would get this far. Did he continue the conversation? Did he also eat his potato while standing there awkwardly? Did he just leave the man be? 

He decided on the latter, mostly for the sake of his own heart. "Have a good night. Enjoy the potato," he said quickly, waving as he walked to his building. 

For a second, the man- Minhyuk- looked like he wanted to say something (or maybe that was Jooheon's imagination) but then his eyes crinkled as he smiled again and waved goodbye. Jooheon's stomach did another flip. 

He stumbled into the building, rapidly tapped the elevator button, fumbled with his keys, and finally collapsed on his couch, sweet potato still in his fist.

He did it. 

And had given himself heart palpitations in the process. Who told Minhyuk to be so damn pretty? 

But he had done it. And he decided that he wanted to do it again. 

***

"Two again this week, dear? Well, you do lots of walking." 

Jooheon bit back a retort and took the hot potatoes from the old woman with a clipped "Thank you." Really, his potatoes weren't her business.

Minhyuk was there like he always was, wearing an adorable puffy jacket and radiating warmth. His hair was a bit messy, like he had been running his hand through it, and his nose and cheeks were tinged red. 

"Hey," Jooheon called, only slightly less nervous than last time. 

Minhyuk turned to face him. His eyes crinkled in a smile and Jooheon felt his insides flutter. 

"Come, come! I was waiting for you. I want to show you something."

Jooheon's ears burned. From the cold or from being told that Minhyuk was waiting for him, he couldn't say. He took a seat on the icy bench and passed over one of the potatoes. 

"It's so clear tonight." Minhyuk sounded breathless with excitement. "Look, look, look." He pointed a gloved hand up at the sky.

Jooheon followed the hand and let out a quiet gasp.

It was incredible. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of stars, sprayed across the dark expanse of sky. Like someone had splattered a paintbrush on the surface of the universe.

"Wow," he said. He couldn't get out much more than that. He had never felt this small. 

"I know," Minhyuk said. He beamed upwards for a bit before speaking again, pointing at one pinprick in the sky that was much brighter than the others. "See how that one's not twinkling? That's because it's a planet, not a star." 

"Planets don't twinkle?" 

"Nope. Stars twinkle because they're so far that our atmosphere messes with the way they look. Planets are closer so they don't have that problem."

"Huh."

Jooheon stared up at that white dot in the sky that was shining so much brighter and steadier than the others. 

There was a certain comfort in looking up at the sky like this. It was a very specific sort of tranquility that could only come with gazing at something as vast and untouchable as the stars. He felt so tiny in the best kind of way. A strange, floating feeling tugged at his chest. 

Minhyuk began to ramble. He began to point out constellations, one after another. He was like an encyclopedia, rattling off star and space facts like he was an astronomer at an observatory and not just a pink-nosed guy sitting on a bench, clutching a sweet potato that was slowly freezing.

Jooheon didn't mind at all. It was the happiest he had ever seen him.

He sat with him, feeling wonderfully insignificant and hidden from the world, for what felt like hours. 

***

"My, my, do be careful with all these potatoes, dear! The future generation needs good health-"

"Okay, they're not both for me!" Jooheon exclaimed tiredly. He was not in the mood for this. "One is for a friend of mine. And my health is perfectly fine--" 

The old woman tittered and patted him on the shoulder with a gloved hand. "Oh, no excuses needed, darling. I am getting double the money, after all."

Jooheon let out a puff of freezing air in a sigh. He just wanted to get home as soon as possible- he hadn't expected it to get this cold tonight. 

Minhyuk, at least, had dressed for the weather. He wore a scarf pulled up to his nose and thick mittens and he looked so warm and soft that Jooheon didn't feel cold for a solid four seconds. 

Upon seeing him, Minhyuk adjusted the scarf to reveal a huge, dazzling smile and Jooheon nearly dropped the potatoes in the snow. 

"Hi again," Minhyuk said. 

"Hi," Jooheon said, brain short-circuiting. "Hi. Um." What was he there for again?

Right.

He stuck out a potato wordlessly. 

Minhyuk hesitantly took the snack, still smiling gently. "Thank you." 

"No problem," Jooheon replied, managing what he hoped was a nice, friendly smile in return. The moment the potato left his grip, his hand turned to ice again. He really needed to get inside.

"Uhh…. Good night. See you around," he said, then turned to head inside the apartment building, ready to flop on the couch and think of how badly he embarrassed himself _again_ in front of one of the most beautiful human beings he had ever seen. 

"Wait!" 

Jooheon turned. 

Minhyuk patted the area of bench next to him, dusting away any snow that had fallen there. 

"D'you wanna sit with me? Again?" 

Jooheon nearly endangered his potato for the second time in five minutes.

Minhyuk wanted to sit with him. Again.

Immediately, his heart screamed "yes, absolutely, are you kidding me?" 

Then he paused and thought about the icy wind seeping through his too-thin jacket, the cold snapping at his nose, and wasn't too sure. 

Like he could read minds, Minhyuk frowned and said, "Oh, you look cold. Hold on." 

He stood up and took a few steps towards Jooheon. Then he reached up, took off his scarf, and carefully wrapped it around Jooheon's neck.

Every circuit of Jooheon's brain and heart shut down. Or imploded. Both, simultaneously.

Minhyuk took a couple of steps back to admire his handiwork. "There. Ah, it looks much cuter on you anyways." He took a bite of the potato and smiled again, and Jooheon desperately wanted to ask him to _please_ stop smiling for the sake of his heart health. 

"Sit with me? I mean, you don't have to." Minhyuk asked again. Jooheon resisted the slightly aggressive "is that even a question?" and opted for "yeah, sure," instead.

They sat down together. Minhyuk scooted a little closer so their sides nearly touched and Jooheon genuinely wanted to faint right there. He focused on the potato in his fist. 

They remained like that for a few minutes, sitting in silence and eating their sweet potatoes. Jooheon adjusted the scarf here and there and noticed a faint scent- something slightly fruity and sweet. It was barely there, but it was nice. 

"I really like it here." Minhyuk broke the silence. Jooheon glanced over and saw he was looking up again. 

"I live closer to the city. You can't see much there- all the pollution. Here's way nicer." He waved a mitten up at the night sky. 

Jooheon followed Minhyuk's stare. The white pinpricks in the sky twinkled down at them, gorgeous and tiny and faraway as ever. There were much less than last time. Inky clouds obscured some of them from view.

He looked back at Minhyuk and caught his breath. 

He had never seen eyes so bright. 

"It's really beautiful," Minhyuk said. His voice was barely more than a whisper. He never took his eyes off the sky.

"Yeah," Jooheon said. He couldn't stop staring. 

He finally managed to stop staring and worked on finishing his potato. Minhyuk seemed to be in a trance, staring blankly at the sky. When Jooheon looked over again, his eyes were sadder. Emptier.

His heart hurt to look at them.

"Can I ask you something?" he blurted out.

Minhyuk turned to look at him and Jooheon felt like crumbling under the wistful stare. 

"You've been coming here every week for a while now. At least, since I moved here. Do you mind if I ask why?" 

The question came out harsher than he had intended. "Only if you wanna tell me," he tacked on hurriedly at the end for good measure. 

Minhyuk blinked and stared for a moment like he was in deep thought. Then he turned back to the sky. "Like I said earlier, right? It's just… way nicer here." He looked so, so sad now.

Jooheon felt like he messed up. He could already sense the wall forming between them, could feel Minhyuk carefully closing himself off. 

There was another lengthy silence. Both potatoes were long-finished. Jooheon silently tried to figure out how to backpedal in his mind. 

Then Minhyuk spoke again. 

"I used to come here a long time ago with a really good friend. He would always point and tell me the constellations, but I seriously couldn't remember a single one." Minhyuk swallowed and tore his eyes off the sky to stare at the damp snow-stained cement at his feet.

"I mostly remember them all now, though. I got a book and tried to memorize every single one I could see. To impress him." 

Jooheon crinkled the paper wrapping of the sweet potato in his hand, unsure of what to say or do. He thought back to how Minhyuk had recited the patterns in the sky so efficiently and excitedly, like it was his purpose. "That's pretty awesome." 

Minhyuk had the barest hint of a smile on his face. "Thanks." He chewed at his lip, quiet for a few moments. Then he pointed up at a dotting of stars. Jooheon remembered Minhyuk calling it the Great Bear constellation. 

"I like to think he's watching me from right… there."

The realization set in. Jooheon's heart plummeted to his stomach.

He opened and closed his mouth a few times futilely. "I'm s-"

"Hey, don't say you're sorry. Please." 

Minhyuk ground a boot into the snow as Jooheon sat in silence, bouncing his leg nervously. What was he even supposed to say? 

He didn't have to say anything, as it turned out, because Minhyuk was getting up to leave. 

Jooheon hurriedly stood up after him. "Wait, Minhyuk, I-" 

"It's getting really cold. I should go." There was a waver in his voice.

"Hold on." Jooheon grabbed his hand. Minhyuk slowly turned in surprise. 

"Y-your scarf," he said, not missing the way Minhyuk's lip trembled a bit. 

Minhyuk opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but no sound came out. Jooheon carefully removed the fabric and wrapped it back around Minhyuk's neck, trying to make it just the way Minhyuk had done it for him. 

He took a couple of steps back, just the way Minhyuk had, to admire it. "Looks best on you." He gave him a slight smile.

Minhyuk swallowed hard and managed a tiny smile back, but seemed rooted in the snow. 

Jooheon paused, unsure of what to do. This was unfamiliar territory, but he did know one thing: Minhyuk was upset. So he would do what he could. 

Jooheon held out his arms awkwardly and tried to appear as non-threatening as possible. "This might sound weird, but do you need a-" 

The wind was nearly knocked out of him as Minhyuk crashed into him full force and wrapped his arms around him. 

Jooheon hugged him right back, even if his chest was in a bit of pain.

He felt Minhyuk's shoulders begin to tremble and hugged him even tighter. Minhyuk buried his face into Jooheon's jacket and clung to him like a life preserver. 

They stayed there, wrapped around each other in the cold street, for what felt like hours. Thankfully, there were few people walking around the neighborhood at this time. 

Finally, Minhyuk's shoulders stopped shaking and he let go. He rubbed quickly at his eyes and Jooheon felt his heart break.

"Sorry," Minhyuk said quietly. 

"What? Don't be silly," Jooheon exclaimed, adjusting the scarf carefully. 

Minhyuk took a deep breath and smiled, a full genuine smile. Jooheon felt his stomach do gymnastics again. He reached a mitten up to take Jooheon's hand.

"You'll be here next Friday?" he asked. 

"I- yeah, yeah of course," Jooheon said breathlessly. "I mean, I live right in that building, so…" 

Minhyuk gave Jooheon's hand a gentle squeeze through the mitten. "I love sweet potatoes, but d'you wanna try something different next time?" 

Jooheon blinked in confusion. "Uh. Well, there's not really another vendor on the way, but-" 

Minhyuk rolled his eyes. "No, I mean we go get something to eat. Together." 

_Like a date,_ Jooheon's brain helpfully supplied. He felt ready to pass out. Again. 

"I- wh- yeah. Yeah, I'd love to." he spluttered. "Definitely." 

"Okay," Minhyuk said. "Remember a scarf next week! Although your nose is cute when it's all pink like that." 

Jooheon felt himself flush. "Maybe I'll just steal yours again." 

"Maybe we can share," Minhyuk grinned. 

The idea made Jooheon's heart and stomach do somersaults. He scrambled to find words. "W-well…" 

Minhyuk let out a sound almost akin to a wail. "Aaah! You're so cute. You're so, so cute, y'know that?" 

Jooheon felt hot enough to turn the icy concrete he was standing on into a puddle. "I'm not-- You're- you're… cute too," he managed to get out eventually, once he got control of his tongue back and stopped holding onto the words in his mouth like gum.

Minhyuk's grin shifted to something softer. Jooheon couldn't tear his eyes away from his face.

He really was beautiful.

"See you next Friday, Jooheon."

He turned and walked away, waving behind him and leaving a set of footprints in the light layer of snow.

Jooheon waved back until Minhyuk turned a corner and was out of sight.

He stole one more glance up at the night sky. Bit by bit, some of the clouds were beginning to dissipate.

The Great Bear constellation twinkled brightly. 

Jooheon waved to him, too.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! sorry it ends so abruptly, I was just kinda goin with it lol 
> 
> also: i love sweet potatoes.


End file.
